Hide and Seeking Fever
by Indigobuni
Summary: Mac is on the run. She's being hunted, but this time, for an entirely different reason. What will happen when she's caught, especially when she knows who the hunter is? Rated M for a reason.


**Hide-and-Seeking Fever**

_Mac is on the run. She's being hunted, but this time, for an entirely different reason. What will happen when she's caught, especially when she knows who the hunter is? Rated M for a reason._

_The minute Mac mentioned Barrons' lair under the garage in ShadowFever, this popped into my head and wouldn't stop haunting me until I wrote it all down. :-) Even if you haven't read the Fever books (I highly recommend them, and KMM's Highlander hunks), it shouldn't detract from the story. I have updated it to include a couple definitions at the end, that might help.  
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_Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned belong to Karen Marie Moning. I thank her for letting me take them out to play for a bit (although I might have a hard time letting go of Barrons)._

_Lemon alert… that's all I'm saying, lol. Just something fun to read. I hope you enjoy.  
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><p>I stayed quiet, like the deep of night in the heart of summer. Or at least I tried to be. Taking slow deep breaths, I held perfectly still so he couldn't see or find me. I knew he was looking for me, and God help me if he found me. Foolish notion. He always found me.<p>

_I'm coming for you._

My scent wafted through this place and I knew it would confuse him as to my actual location. Or at least I hoped it did. I was the hunted. He was the hunter.

His moves were sleek and stealthy. Silent and dangerous. My heartbeat picked up but not from fear. I was anxious about what he would do to me once he captured me.

_You should be anxious. I have plans for you._

I heard his thoughts pushing into my mind and the images he was hurling into my brain made me shiver.

_Stay out of my head. Or is that the only way you can win?_

I shouted back at him. He didn't play fair, but then again, what did I expect from Jericho Barrons? Wait … did I actually just hear him snort in my head?

I was currently hiding in one of several dens and briefly had a chance to glance around at my surroundings. If I needed to take flight, I wanted to know what I could to use as a weapon and where my exits were.

The décor was rich, decorated in dark brown leather with gold and deep red accents. It was beautiful and dark, but ….

Something rustled just outside the door, distracting me from me observations. It had to be him, so I silenced my thoughts and pushed myself further into the darkest corner of the room.

A fleeting consideration made me wish for my spear, but it wouldn't do any good against him. I didn't even have my holster to conceal it. It also didn't help that I was completely void of clothing, but that was how he left me in the last room before I got away. Naked. Vulnerable to his attack.

The noise disappeared, but I waited, and counted. One … two … three minutes and still no noise came from beyond the doorway. It gave me a modicum of hope that he wouldn't find me this time. Or maybe it was disappointment?

I felt the slightest bit of tension release from my shoulders and prepared to take a step away from the wall. I needed another place to hide where he couldn't find me.

Before I had a chance to react, the air suddenly became charged with electricity and strong arms pulled me from the wall. I was spun around and my back crashed into what felt like a tall brick wall.

"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that, Mac." Barrons' voice was dark and low, whispering against my ear. It was those times he spoke softly that I knew I was in trouble.

A fist grabbed my hair and rent my head to the side. Something sharp grazed up the side of my neck and nipped my earlobe. It was a fang and my body shook and vibrated to life. Lust and heat roiled off him and blasted into me. My body instantly heated. My breasts plumped and juices coated my inner thighs, prepping me for what was to come.

Without another word from him, he pushed me over one end of the couch and slammed his cock home, forcing a scream from my throat. God, he was magnificent. All man. All beast. And I wanted to feel every part of him.

With each thrust and retreat I slid over the buttery leather fabric until I braced my hands on the other side of the couch. Barrons grabbed my shoulders, pulling me further onto him and I arched my back, overwhelmed with the sensation of how deep he was hitting.

I cried out again as I felt his cock thickening, lengthening inside of me, and I knew if I turned my head, I'd see flashes of the beast – the one who reveled in this erotic game of a hunter toying with its prey before devouring it.

The things he was doing to my body made me roar through my orgasms until my voice was hoarse. Still he kept on. I shook my head and braced the top of it against the arm of the sofa. It was too much. It wasn't enough. We'd been at this for hours, but I knew to my very soul, it was never going to be enough with this man.

I felt his body tense above mine and as if we were one unit, his roar picked up where mine left off as he poured himself inside of me.

A whimper crossed my lips as he withdrew, and as he was in the motion of sitting down, he slammed me down on top of his rigid length. My knees braced against his outer thighs and I rode him hard and fast. I felt free and alive; like riding a Hunter through the night sky, reveling in the feel of having this beast between my legs.

"You took longer to find me that time." I gritted out my words through clenched teeth, even though my lips were drawn into a devious smile.

"You think so?" His eyes were obsidian, bottomless, but full of deep and dark emotions.

I could have said that when he had his fill he let me go, but that would have been absurd. He always lusted for me. Desired what was his. Then again, it was the same for me. When I was with him, I was _Pri-ya_ again. My world narrowed and he was my universe.

When I was finally able to stand on my own feet in front of him, I smiled. Staring at him, Barrons was a picture of perfection in repose. His arms were spread across the back of the couch, knees spread wide. He was still hard, _damn how does he do that_, and his look was feral.

Dropping down to my knees in front of him, I ran my fingers delicately up his thickly corded thighs. Sleek, velvet skin over steel. God this man felt incredible. Powerful.

My eyelids hooded with need and I looked up at him through my lashes, my tongue wetting my bottom lip. Barrons' eyebrow quirked questioningly.

"Close your eyes." I whispered and blew cool air across the head of his cock. I was rewarded with a growl and beads of liquid seeped from the tip.

_What do you want?_ He reached down and his hand curled around his length, shielding it from me, teasing me.

_Why ask silly questions?_

_I don't ask silly questions. I want to hear the words come out of your mouth._

Ever the persistent ass. _You already know what I want._

_Your point?_

He gathered the liquid and used it to glide his hand up and down his shaft more easily. My blunt fingernails dug into his thighs harder and his eyes narrowed. I stuck out my chin and tried to turn the tables. He'd mentioned on more than one occasion that I spoke with my eyes. Well, Barrons, listen to this.

_Offer it to me!_ I demanded with an intense gaze.

For a brief moment, I couldn't read him. His face was impassive as stone and I wasn't sure of his reaction. Barrons was all about control and for the briefest moment, I wondered if I might have rattled him.

Suddenly, he closed his eyes, threw back his head, and a deep laughter erupted from his throat. It was filled with joy and lust and raw emotion that I rarely heard from him.

When he finally lifted his lids, I was back on my feet and walking toward the door. "Fine, if that's the way you want it."

Before he got off the couch, I broke into a run again. God only knew where I was going to try and hide this time. There were so many damn rooms in this underground place beneath the garage that one could get lost in here for weeks on end.

The hallway I was running down had a multitude of doors on either side, but as I tried one after the other, they were all locked. I glanced behind and wondered where Barrons was. He should have found me by now. He moved quicker than the naked eye could see and could have easily kept pace with me.

He was waiting, however. Counting down before chasing me. Before becoming the hunter again.

Finally, I blew out a strong breath. One of the last doors was unlocked and I broke through, skidding to a halt and staring incredulously. The room was an exhibition in extremely kinky. _Why the hell hasn't he shown this room to me yet_?

Mac 6.0 shivered with anticipation. For a moment I was lost in a fantasy of me spread out on the bed and him towering over me. Or maybe the table with restraints? Either way didn't matter to me. _What were some of those things hanging on the wall_?

The ground disappeared beneath my feet before I realized that Barrons was picking me up and tossing me on the bed. I laughed freely as a growl rumbled through the room.

"It's about fucking time we made it here. I was beginning to wonder." He grabbed the wrist and ankle cuffs attached to the enormous four-poster bed and began securing me.

Even though it was pointless, I struggled against him. I was strong, but Barrons was ten times or more so. It was all for fun anyway. I liked being feisty and giving him a hard time, even though sometimes it infuriated him and he called me stubborn.

As was mentioned before, never let it be said that Barrons played fair, and it dawned on me that he'd set me up. That this entire night had been subterfuge to get me to this room at this moment in time. Why else would all the other doors be locked?

"Now why would you think that?"

"Jackass." I shot at him and wiggled my ass on the black silk sheets. I'd never go back to cotton sheets again. The silk felt too incredible against my heated flesh.

Barrons stopped to admire the view at the end of the bed – me spread-eagled, tethered exactly where he wanted me to be.

His eyes began to bleed crimson and his face shifted with that sense of duality I came to recognize. He gripped the bedposts hard enough that wood cracked with a groan and I knew he was trying to control himself. He could never lose complete control, but even if he did, I knew that his beast would not hurt me. It knew me.

A rattle vibrated through his chest and he closed his eyes. Even though he couldn't see, my gaze never left him. Man. Beast. One and the same and I wanted both.

Barrons opened his eyes and they were white. I stole a moment to look at the various things around the vast room again and understood that this place was all about control. His. Which was fine with me. I was in control of all other aspects of my life now. But here, in this time and place, I was willing to give it up to him. I trusted him with my life.

His hands fit under my ass and lifted me up as he crawled further up the bed. With a squeeze, a wave of pure lust rolled over me.

"No. My ass!" He said as he parted my cheeks and delved into me from underneath, driving his point home over and over.

I couldn't tell you how long we were in that room, and I really didn't care. Barrons was all over me, in me, on me, hard and possessing. He rode me from the front, from behind, from beneath, claiming what was his, and doing things to my body that would have made Pink Mac blush bright red before running in the other direction. Never again. This Mac savored each tickle, each mark he made on my breasts and ass, each thrust into my mouth, each instrument of pleasure he chose to exact his control.

I never counted the number of orgasms when I was with him. It was an exercise in futility. When I was with Barrons like this, my body was fracturing every single second. It was a vicious circle – fracturing, exploding, being pieced together only to fracture again. It was pure and uninhibited.

Fire sluiced through my veins and every nerve in my body came to life with his electric currents pumping into me.

A small part of me was relieved that we'd finally taken a break, because let's face it. I couldn't live on sex alone. He released me from the straps that were currently holding me to a table, and we made our way to the kitchen.

I needed to rehydrate and get a bit of sleep. My strength was actually floundering a bit after that last round.

The corner of Barrons' mouth twitched into the beginning of a smile as he pulled some pans out from a cabinet, and he told me to 'tough it out'.

_Not all of us have your stamina, Jericho._

_You had all the stamina in the world at the end of last year._

He got perverse pleasure in flooding me with images of the time I was _Pri-ya,_ and instead of pushing them away, I wrapped myself around them. Then I sent him back images of a few fantasies of my own.

His chest vibrated, punctuated by a deep rumble, and his eyes flashed again from crimson and back before he teased me.

_Is that the best you can do?_

He looked at me with no emotion and bombarded my mind with images of several of his fantasies, which caused me to grab onto the kitchen island. My knees buckled as a fierce orgasm racked my body. I didn't even want to know how he planned on getting me into some of those positions. Did my body even bend like that?

_It will when I get through with you._

_Right now, the only way my body's going to bend is over the bed, unconscious from hunger._

_You were hungry earlier. Ravenous in fact. You seemed rather satisfied with your mouth between my legs, on my cock, sucking and licking, while I fucked … _

"Okay, okay. I definitely get the picture. Food. Now."

"Are you trying to give me orders again Rainbow Girl?"

"Should I kneel in front of you and beg for scraps?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You could. But I doubt food is what you'd get."

I rolled my eyes, and he grumbled some kind of threat about doing it again and seeing what happened. Hmm, I'd have to tuck that piece of information away for use at another time.

Let's face facts. Where Jericho Barrons and sex were concerned, I loved pushing him. It just meant he pushed back harder … and right where I wanted it.

I sat at the table while he whipped up something for me to eat, but only enough for me. I didn't want to think about the whys of it. Although, later when I drifted off to sleep, I felt the bed shift and opened one eye wide enough to see him leaving. He was probably going through the Silvers to find his own food. I yawned not caring. He was who he was, and I wasn't about to change him.

Later when I woke, I had no idea what time it was, or day for that matter. It wasn't like there were windows in this underground palace and it disoriented me for a minute. Jericho wasn't beside me and I wasn't sure how long he'd been gone.

I took a long overdue shower and threw a t-shirt and panties on after toweling my hair as dry as I could. When I went in search of him, I found him in the den on the phone (I really wanted to know how he got reception down here or anywhere), and I could tell he was talking to Ryodan. He was barking a few orders as I passed by and headed to the den we were in previously this evening.

Even though the temperature was always the same down here, I started a fire with the gas logs and curled up on the Chesterfield sofa, replete for the moment from sex and food. My eyes drifted again and when I jerked awake, Barrons was in his meditative state with my head on his lap.

Looking up, I studied the sharp angles of his face and knew that I'd touched, kissed, and licked every square inch of him, and later I'd planned on doing it again … from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. There wasn't a place on that man that I didn't know, and the same could be said for him. Sometimes I think he knew me better than I knew myself.

"I'm instituting a new rule down here." He stated suddenly, but I wasn't surprised he was alert. There was a part of Jericho Barrons that was always alert no matter how much he rested.

"What's that?"

His hand smoothed down between my breasts, sinking lower to the hem of my shirt and began pulling it up.

"The only thing I want covering you down here from now on is my skin."

"That doesn't seem safe. Won't I catch cold?"

His eyes opened, his look penetrating my very soul. It made me shudder. "I'll always keep you safe and warm."

"You're so sure of that, are you?" There was no disguising the fact that I was baiting him.

His hooded gaze became feral and lust-filled. "As sure as I'm going to rip those clothes off of you right now. You're in violation of my rule."

I sat up and scooted away a few inches and planted my feet on the floor in preparation. "I'd like to see you try it. You'll have to catch me first."

I took off running with Barrons in pursuit, and a buzz of excitement ran through me. The hunt had begun again, and as I rounded a corner, I wondered just how long it would take Jericho Barrons to find me.

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><p>Definitions (thanks to Mac for jotting definitions down in her journal):<p>

Pri-ya - a human addicted to Fae sex. Mac was turned Pri-ya by the dark Fae Princes. The human loses themselves in the process and all they have is their need. Their world is narrowed and focused solely on the one who is Master of that world. Barrons helped her to come back from losing herself. As far as anyone knows, Mac is the only person to have all their faculties returned after becoming Pri-ya.

Hunter (or Royal Hunter) - Mercenary beings. They hunt Sidhe-seers. Militantly sentient, they resemble the classic depiction of the devil, with cloven hooves, horns, long satyrlike faces, leathery wings, fiery orange eyes, and tails. Seven to ten feet tall, they are capable of extraordinary speed on both hoof and wing. They have a thirty- to forty-foot wingspan and a degree of telepathic abilities. Mac rode one a couple of times after Barrons used Druid spells on it.


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